1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to the field of drug infusions and, in particular, to the area of administration of post-operative anesthesia. The invention provides a novel technique and equipment to inject liquid anesthetics directly into the surgical site on a continuous basis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Post-operative pain normally requires the injection of anesthetic medication into the area affected by the surgical procedure in order to alleviate the patient's discomfort and facilitate a successful recovery. Typically, care providers inject a liquid anesthetic directly into the surgical site for a number of days after the operation. This procedure necessitates a new needle puncture in an already sensitive area with each administration, with the obvious result of pain exacerbation and an increased potential for infection. Alternatively, post-operative pain can be alleviated with the administration of narcotics, but this approach is generally not favored because of their side effects.
When an anesthetic is administered locally, normally the dosage at each injection is reduced over a period of a few days after the operation because of the decreasing level of discomfort and the corresponding smaller need for anesthesia. This requires that accurate records be kept to avoid confusion concerning the type of medication and dosages used at each time. Therefore, in addition to the pain and trauma inflicted to the patient by the repeated needle punctures, the potential for error is increased because of the recurring human involvement. Thus, there is a need for an infusion apparatus designed to administer the total dosage of anesthetic required for post-operative treatment on a continuous and progressively decreasing basis through a single injection site in the surgical wound.